Chapter 266: I Seek You, You Seek the Reaper

Xu Shaochen remained silent.

Naturally, no one else dared to speak.

As a result, the entire private room fell into a terrifying silence.

In the room, the foreheads of the four waitresses dressed in cheongsams began to bead with sweat.

Everyone’s hearts were filled with unease. After all, from the way Xu Shaochen handled Zhou Chaohu’s situation, it was clear that he wasn’t someone with a mild temper.

Of course, they also picked up on another point—that Xu Shaochen was using Zhou Chaohu to demonstrate his dominance.

So, if not for this particular situation, Zhou Chaohu’s outcome wouldn’t have been so tragic. At the very least, his business should’ve been spared.

“Sorry to have embarrassed everyone.”

After a long while, Xu Shaochen broke the silence. He looked at everyone and smiled slightly.

“Not at all, Chairman Xu. You’re much too polite. It’s Zhou Chaohu who brought this on himself.”

“Yes, yes, yes. To have done something like that, death would be too light a punishment for him.”

“Chairman Xu, you are magnanimous. Allowing him to survive is already an act of great mercy.”

Everyone sighed in relief. If Xu Shaochen had continued to remain silent, they honestly wouldn’t have known what to do.

After all, if Xu Shaochen stayed quiet here for an entire day, none of them would dare take a step out before him.

“To show my appreciation for everyone’s strong support, I won’t involve myself with Zhou Chaohu’s company. You may divide it among yourselves.”

Xu Shaochen swept his gaze over the crowd, speaking slowly to ensure everyone could hear and clearly understand each word he said.

He had just frightened them all using the Zhou Chaohu situation, and now, he would use this to give them a sweet reward.

By balancing both rewards and punishments, he ensured that these people would closely follow in his footsteps.

“This… Thank you, Chairman Xu.”

Everyone’s spirits were instantly lifted upon hearing this. Yunzhou is just so big, and profitable businesses are only so many. The more they share, the less they earn.

If they could get a piece of Zhou Chaohu’s company, it wouldn’t be a small amount. It would be like each receiving a golden goose that lays eggs.

Although this golden goose might not lay many eggs, it would lay them consistently every day.

Initially, they had assumed that Zhou Chaohu’s company would naturally go to Xu Shaochen, and they were merely helping Xu Shaochen make a wedding dress for someone else.

They hadn’t expected Xu Shaochen to let them share Zhou Chaohu’s company. This stark contrast filled everyone with a bit of gratitude.

“Gentlemen, I am a straightforward person. In most cases, I don’t like playing games. I’ll speak plainly.”

Xu Shaochen raised his teacup and addressed the crowd, as typically, no one was qualified to make him play any games.

“Chairman Xu, please speak. We are all ears. We will follow your lead.”

Everyone respectfully addressed Xu Shaochen.

“I want to remove the Zhou Family from Yunzhou. What do you all think?”

Xu Shaochen looked at the crowd calmly, his eyes slightly narrowing as he observed everyone’s expressions.

Everyone’s faces changed upon hearing this. They exchanged glances, revealing looks of difficulty.

“Excuse me, Chairman Xu, which Zhou Family are you referring to exactly?”

A middle-aged man stood up and cautiously asked Xu Shaochen.

Xu Shaochen looked at him with a playful expression. “What’s this? Are there several Zhou Families in Yunzhou that are worthy of me speaking like this?”

Hiss—

Although they had already guessed it in their hearts, hearing Xu Shaochen confirm it left them all gasping.

After all, everyone knew that the Zhou Family was not to be trifled with.

Xu Shaochen was indeed formidable, but this was Yunzhou, the Zhou Family’s territory.

As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot overpower a local snake. They really didn’t think Xu Shaochen could simply crush the Zhou Family.

While the Zhou Family couldn’t do anything to Xu Shaochen, they could certainly retaliate against them, making everyone reluctant to proceed.

Moreover, some of them had business relationships with the Zhou Family. A few had already started thinking about how to leave as soon as possible and relay this information to the Zhou Family.

“Chairman Xu, with all due respect…”

A pot-bellied middle-aged man stood up, intending to oppose Xu Shaochen.

“Get out.”

Before he could finish, Xu Shaochen interrupted without hesitation. His tone was calm.

“Chairman Xu…” the middle-aged man’s face changed color.

“I said, get out.” Xu Shaochen looked at him, enunciating each word carefully.

The middle-aged man’s face flushed alternately red and white, standing there in deep embarrassment. He hadn’t expected Xu Shaochen to be this blunt.

But this also made everyone realize one thing—Xu Shaochen was determined to move against the Zhou Family.

In the end, the middle-aged man turned and walked out of the private room. After all, Zhou Chaohu’s fate was still fresh in their minds; he didn’t dare confront Xu Shaochen head-on.

However, he made a silent vow in his heart—to inform the Zhou Family of this matter as soon as possible. He didn’t believe that in this small patch of Yunzhou, Xu Shaochen could really do anything to the Zhou Family.

“If a single word of today’s discussion gets out, I’ll find you, and the Reaper will find you.”

Xu Shaochen spoke without even looking back, his voice drifting into the middle-aged man’s ears.

The middle-aged man’s body stiffened. He stopped and turned back, forcing out a grim smile. “Rest assured, Chairman Xu, I understand the stakes.”

The thought he just had was instantly snuffed out of his mind.

What he didn’t know was that from the moment he stepped out of that room, a gap that could never be bridged was forged between him and the others present.

Some time later, everyone present that day would see their wealth double. As for him, he would be left with nothing but bitter regret.

Indeed, some opportunities only come once. Miss them, and they’ll never come your way again.

“Well, now that the irrelevant person is gone, does anyone have any objections to what I said?”

Xu Shaochen asked, looking around the room. He didn’t believe that with so many people working together, along with the Yongsheng Group, they couldn’t handle the Zhou Family.

“No objections. We will follow Chairman Xu’s lead.”

Everyone echoed with determination. Since the decision was made, there could be no more hesitation. Those who waver often meet the worst fates.

“Good. You may start preparing now. Act on the day of the Zhou Family’s eldest son’s wedding. Consider it a congratulatory gift from all of you working together. The Zhou Family will surely be deeply ‘grateful.’”

Xu Shaochen laughed heartily, lifting his teacup and drinking it all in one go, exuding a bit of ruggedness, as if he were drinking alcohol instead.

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but twitch the corners of their mouths. Grateful? More like they’ll want to skin us alive.

However, they were now extremely curious about the grudge between the Zhou Family and Xu Shaochen.

Logically speaking, their statuses and positions were so different that they shouldn’t have had any interaction.

But still, they couldn’t help but pity the Zhou Family. Xu Shaochen was clearly intent on fighting them to the death. The Zhou Family’s vast empire might indeed collapse in a single night.